


Hellevator to Heaven

by wow_thats_felix



Series: A Few Stray Kisses [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: "mY gUcCi bUrNeD!", Based on Hellevator, Chan is too sweet, Changbin is your rich best friend you never knew you needed, F/M, IDK more like death game, Kinda horror-ish, Satan is petty, Slow Updates, Some Explict Language, THIS IS AN READER INSERT, chan x reader, side changlix, side minsung, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-05-13 12:24:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14748815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wow_thats_felix/pseuds/wow_thats_felix
Summary: When given a super fancy anonymous invitation to arrive at an old abandoned building do you: a) drive all the way out to the location in the middle of nowhere despite the fact you have to start university in a week; b) enter the building alone no matter how shady it looks; c) get swept up into a cynical death game controlled by a psychopath; or d) all of the above? Well, you were always a slut for mysteries so you chose option D.Alternatively, when you are forced to solve multiple riddles to rise from hell on the hellevator, and it may be the super attractive Australian guy's fault that hell is smoking hot.





	1. Floor 1: The Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly updated first chapter, with better flow, less errors, and slightly more profanity in select places for better impact!

When given a super fancy anonymous invitation to arrive at an old abandoned building do you: a) drive all the way out to the location in the middle of nowhere despite the fact you have to start university in a week; b) enter the building alone no matter how shady it looks; c) get swept up into a cynical death game controlled by a psychopath; or d) all of the above? Well, you were always a slut for mysteries so you chose option D. 

 

Pulling out the note embellished with red satin you ran your fingers across the reflective silver print that spelt out a vague message. All that was written was: “ To Miss Y/N L/N”, a date, a time and a location.  _ But for such a pretty letter, why was the absolute wreck of a concrete structure standing in front of you, rather than a posh hotel or something? _ Checking twice the address on the paper you stepped out of the car, dry grass blew in the wind at your feet, scratching up to your knees as you neared the weathered entrance.  _ Obviously,  _ you thought to yourself,  _ any normal person would’ve been deterred by the sketchy venue, but I’ve already established I’m not a normal person.  _ Even though it was the beginning of September (also conveniently the beginning of your university career) you’d thrown on a black Gucci bomber jacket- chic and compliments of your best friend Changbin- and carted yourself out here in a sports car you also borrowed-without-asking from Changbin  _ again _ . Not like he needed it anyway- he had like, 3 different sports cars (rich kids amirite?). All the while imagining some lavish student run entrance ceremony of initiation in a grand event hall.  _ Seems like my imagination got the best of me again…  _ Pushing open the rusty door you took a step into the seemingly ruined building. However, as soon as you past the threshold of the doorframe you felt an indescribable twisting sensation accompanied with a momentary blackout, before dropping onto a completely unfamiliar carpeted floor.

 

You awoke a split second later, all too conscious that you were no longer in the concrete building you’d collapsed in. Nerves on end, you quickly did a visual site inspection of the new territory. What seemed like a hotel lobby almost roared “roaring twenties”, with black, gold and red as the base colors. The high gold ceiling rose to the second floor, supported by large black pillars accented with gold to match. Furnished with red velvet sofas the floor was covered by luxurious red carpet with black and gold tracing pentagram patterns across the ground.  _ Satanic. But new. If anything, the designer gets bonus points for creativity.  _ You rose from the carpeted floor and frowned as you dusted off your jacket dramatically.  _ And this is the first time I’ve worn it too!  _ Silently pouting over the creases in the expensive couture, you didn’t hear the footsteps quietly approaching. What made you look up was the stench. A mix between putrid sulfur and burning hopes and dreams was emanating from something behind you. Every nerve in your body was on edge as you turned to face the man standing behind you, his shit-eating grin matching his scent. His eyes flashed a creepy crismon as he smirked while sizing you up. As his gaze swept across your body you could feel him judging you. Then his inspection stopped at the pure silver cross around your neck- another gift from Changbin. As if he’d suddenly realized his disgusting odor, his face crinkled into one of disgust. That pissed you off.  _ Judging me, I can understand. But judging my best friend’s choice in accessories? Not on my watch!  _

 

“May I help you?” You pulled off the bitchiest, sassiest tone you could, to irk this irrelevant idiot.

 

“Maybe I can help you... That necklace of yours seems awfully heavy for such a pretty throat.” His answer had a playful pace and a thick fake sweetness as he reached for your jugular. 

 

“I think it’s the safest place to put it, don’t you?” you batted away his hand, using a matching poisonously sweet voice. 

 

He paused before moving closer and closing a good 3 feet with his long stride. Though you couldn’t quite say it was a step. It seemed more like a float. Now it was your turn to use your vision to judge this weirdo. He was in a sleek black tux accented with a deep red dress shirt underneath. Thick raven black hair was combed back in a clean, neat but stuck up look. Hanging from his wrists were a pair of pitch black rings, too ugly to be called bracelets and too neat to be shackles. 

 

“Besides, don’t you think those- um- beauties on your wrist are heavier?” you smiled with teeth rotting sugar practically dripping from your mouth to hide your complete repulsion from this guy. Your curiosity- as it did quite often- had the better of you. 

 

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Mr. Stinky Fuccboi replied to your inquiry with his own, and you inwardly groaned.

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Would you happen to be religious?” his odd interrogation made you confused.

 

“Not since I last checked.” you answer was short and curt. Before you could blink, the man was gone, his image collapsing into a burst of black. Then his artificial honey covered articulation appeared in your left ear.

 

“Perfect. That makes it all so much easier.” you could practically feel him sneer and then the cold sensation of your own necklace becoming a choker dug into your windpipe. 

 

_ This son of a bitch is trying to strangle me!!  _ You struggled to get free of his vice grip in vain.  _ This guy has balls. But they won’t work ever again after this!  _ Using all your strength, you spun around and kneed him in the crotch. He didn’t even flinch. Instead your actions seemed to have pissed him off even more. You let a string of colorful curse words spill from your mouth.

 

“Didn’t they teach you how to be a good child in school at the very least?” Annoyed, he grabbed your arm before your could slap him across the face.  _ Burning….  _ You sniffed the air.  _ Something’s burning…. _

 

“Shit!” you yelped as you looked down at your arm. The entire sleeve had gone up in flames out of nowhere, fire blooming from where the little fruit loop had dared touch your jacket. 

 

“You little devil! This thing costs more than your life!” you screeched in anger, though all you got back was a condescending look.

 

“Oh sweetheart, I may be the devil, but I am in no way, shape, or form,  _ little _ .” With that, he was gone, in an implosion of black, while you were left to deal with your heated dilemma. 

 

Turns out, Gucci burns like all hell. Spreading up your arm towards your torso, the blaze ate up the expensive fabric as if it was covered in gasoline.  _ I’m going to burn in hell, but literally. How fitting.  _ Just as you gave up on your right hand, someone grasped it firmly. About to draw it back, fearing the psycho had returned to mock you again, strong hands tore the bomber jacket off of you. The stranger pulled you away from the inferno that once was your Gucci and you watched with sad eyes as the three thousand dollar gift went up in flames. Instead of thanks for the dude who just saved your life, your mouth only babbled incoherent sounds before you finally found the strength to blurt something out.

 

“My Gucci burned…” your grief filled eyes gazed upon the ashes of the most expensive thing you’d ever hope to own.

 

“Uhm… I’m sorry about that. Are you okay?” The new voice carried an Australian accent and wasn’t laced with false sweetness like the satanic man who’d spoken to you before. 

You lifted your head and met warm brown eyes, so different than the cold crimson eyes of the jerk who’d murdered your jacket. Though he spoke like an Aussie, he didn’t look native to the large island country. The new man wore a black faux leather jacket, with a half buttoned dark blue flannel shirt and a black t-shirt underneath. In addition there was a half-smile painted kindly on his face, showing off a dimple that you  _ totally didn’t find adorable in the least bit.  _

 

“I’m fine, if you don’t count the loss of a few thousand dollars.” You confirmed that there wasn’t a single burn on your body- except maybe a growing burn in your chest, right around your heart, not that you’d admit that though. 

 

“I see you’ve met our hospitable host,” he referred to the man you’d just attempted to knee in the nuts.

 

“Yeah, unfortunately. What’s his deal anyway?” 

 

“Lucifer? His deal is with the devil.” You tried your best not to laugh.

 

“You’re trying to tell me, that stinky-ass dude was Satan himself?” you giggled, but upon analyzing his serious expression you stopped.

 

“What does Lucifer, the king of all demons, want with a boring university freshman like me?” You assumed that his silence meant he was just as clueless as you were. 

 

Drawing a deep breath, fingers running through your hair, you tried to process the situation.  _ I’m actually in hell. Not like I haven’t felt like I was before, but oh god, I’m in hell!  _

 

“Is there any way back?” you asked the (very very pretty) foreigner, “You know, to the real world?”

 

_ “But this world is _ very  _ real.”   _ The lazy drawl of a familiar voice spoke from nowhere in particular.  _ Lucifer. _

 

“Did you hear that?” You turned to your new company, but the light haired Aussie only shook his head in reply.

 

_ “I suppose there is a extremely dangerous way to get back to your plane of existence. It would require risking your life, your sanity and soul, but…”  _ Lucifer’s words rang in your head again.

 

“Hit me with your best shot,” reacting to nothing in particular you yelled to the air.

 

_ “The simplest way to get out of hell free? The elevator.”  _ The tone practically painted a picture of the smug prick in your mind.

 

“As if it’s that simple.” Sarcasm dripped from your reaction.

 

_ “Only for you sweetheart~”  _ You could practically feel him wink and you gagged internally. Finally his presence seemed to dissipate and you were left again with the very confused Kangaroo Boy.

 

“Do you normally talk to yourself?” he asked puzzled.

 

“Just when a certain devil chooses to invade my mental privacy and rub his satanic plans in my face.”

 

“What did he say?” Kangaroo Boy leaned in, interest spiked at the mention of any revelation.

 

“To stop calling you Kangaroo Boy,” you joked. He looked taken aback for a moment then cracked a (heart melting) smile.

 

“Name’s Bang Chan. Chris, Chan, CB, call me whatever you want.” He extended a hand in greeting, which you took with vigor.

 

“Well, I don’t have nearly as many names, but I normally go by Y/N. The over curious and over confident! But right now I’m just plain terrified.”

 

“Then Y/N the scaredy cat it is,” Chan teased lightly, smiling.  _ God that smile could even light up hell.  _ You pretended to hiss like a cat  in response, grinning back.

 

“I might be scared, but this cat knows the way out.” He stopped joking for a second and slipped back into his serious face in seconds. To be honest, it kinda freaked you out.

 

“Good ol’ Lucifer gave me a clue.” You pointed to the elevator. Chan gave you a quizzical look.

 

“The old lift?” He raised a brow- which had a slit cut through it that made him look hotter than Hades. 

 

“I mean, the devil’s word is hard to believe, but it’s all we’ve got. Unless you know another way out?” Silently you prayed that he would- trusting the very man who’d brought you here to show you the way out was not the most feasible option.

 

“I’ve never tried it before, but it’s worth a shot,” Chan proclaimed as he walked towards the elevator, and you warily followed suit. 

 

Like a gentleman, Chan opened the ancient Otis scissor gate and the both of you stepped into the elevator. As soon as you let both feet into the giant metal box, the gate screeched shut behind you and the voice of your friendly neighborhood satanic demon spoke, this time through a vintage speaker in the top corner of the lift.

 

_ “So you decided to bring the damn filth in with you. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I said it would be simple for you, and you  _ **_alone_ ** _ sweetheart. Now you’ll have to suffer because you brought him along...”  _ you and Chan locked gaze and he shot an apologetic look.

 

_ “No matter. Our little game will be all the more interesting,”  _ Lucifer drawled, accenting the interesting which probably meant it would in  _ no way _ be interesting for  _ you. _

 

_ “Here’s the rules: You must board the Hellevator every night and ride to the next floor or you’ll be left for the wraiths. But the Hellevator only works if you solve its puzzle within the amount of time between each chime of bells.  _ If  _ you make it to the top floor- the ninth level of this building- there’s a way one can take to escape… Good luck~.”  _

 

With that, his voice faded away and you were left to play a death game with someone you barely knew. 

 

“I’m sorry. I ruined your chances to escape.” The soft apology broke the silence abruptly and you turned to face him. Guilt was strewn across his face.

 

“What? If anything, I should be apologizing for dragging you into a death game,” you reassured him. He smiled sadly and his gaze softened, but the look of guilt didn’t fade.

 

While you were trying to cheer up your new partner in crime, a message began to etch itself into a blank gold plate beside the door, where the buttons should’ve been. 

 

“ _ Floor 0 is our start line, filled with red and gold that shines. Should you always look up to the sky, the glimmer of the sun will make you blind. Today could be your very first time, you have 44 hours to turn to crime, _ ” Chan read the shining words out loud, focusing on them as if they would disappear if he dared to blink.

 

“Guess this is our first mission. It’s our turn to show Lucifer hell!” you grinned with a dastardly sort of determination.

 

~~~

 

The two of you started by examining the grand chandelier dangling from the ceiling. All that you could see from the ground was a stunning array of glass and gems. Being the genius you are, you decided to inspect it closer by jumping from the second level and literally swinging from the chandelier while scream-singing  _ Chandelier  _ by Sia. 

 

“I’m doing it Chan!” you yelled leaning off the side of the railing, looking down at the poor Aussie boy worrying that the only other human was about to crack her skull open doing the most idiotic thing in all hell. Being strong and reliable guy, Chan had volunteered to stand underneath the chandelier and spot check you- actually, since you’d seriously gotten up on the ledge he was kind of forced to make sure you didn’t die. He sighed in response and muttered something like “Maybe I should tell her” and shook his head.

 

“aAAhaAAAAA!!!!” Your battle cry rang throughout Lucifer’s lobby as you accelerated off the ground and flailing your arms you caught the bottom of the chandelier.

 

“Oh my god I actually did it! Chan did you see that!!’ you rejoiced and squealed in delight. Chan’s worried look didn’t fall as the chandelier was still rocking dangerously from your added weight.

 

_ “aaAAAhhhh waNNA SWINGGGG, froM tHe CHANDELIER!!!!” _ you belted out loudly and laughed like a maniac while jamming out to Sia- although it sounded more like a dying dolphin with strep throat. 

 

“aaaaAAAAhhh WAnnA LiVE, liKE tOmmOrOW dOESn’t eXisTTTTTTTT- oH SHIT!” 

 

The chandelier bolts seemed to have disliked your performance, because one at a time they were failing and dropping you closer to a few broken bones.You scrambled to get your balance back but it was in vain, only making your situation worse. With each stuttered drop you let out a weak yelp and Chan sprang into action, placing himself right under your panicking form, like a baseball player ready to catch.

 

“Let go!” he instructed and you violently shook your head, no longer able to give a proper verbal response. This movement, of course, gave the ancient bolts more of a hard time in keeping you up. At this point, tears of terror were forming in your eyes. _ I never got to talk trash about Changbin to his grandkids! I won’t be able to see him marry Felix!  _ You were almost 100% sure about your untimely death and your mind was about to accept it when a familiar Australian voice broke your onslaught of depressing thoughts. 

 

“Let go! I’ll catch you!” Chan stood below, with his arms out wide, but your first instinct was to hold on for dear life- if you could even keep that.

 

“Y/N, I need you to trust me! Let go of the chandelier!” Inspecting the bolts on the ceiling, you took in the fact that there were only two left, then only one left.

 

You squeezed your eyes shut and took a deep breath. The grip on the cold lighting finally loosened and you felt the sensation of free falling for a moment, then the warmth of two sturdy arms around your waist. Before you could let out the breath you were holding, you were slammed onto the floor back-first, knocking all the air out of your lungs. Suddenly Chan was hovering over you and all you could process was:  _ Oh fuck, there is an extremely attractive guy on top of me!!!  _ Everything happened so fast that you had to piece together what happened afterwards. There was a earsplitting crash and Chan’s collected expression contorted into one of pain for a split second as he bore the weight of the chandelier on his back. Though the enormous piece of lighting had just fallen on him, he didn’t let himself fall over, protecting you right until the end. When the final shards had settled, didn’t he roll off of you right away. Even if a giant decoration made of sharp glass and shining metal had just rammed itself onto his leather jacket, it hadn’t scratched it one bit. Although he was in this provocative position, Chan was still able to look searingly hot. Realizing how you were trapped beneath him, he straightened himself and stood up. You were beginning to wonder if the devil existed, then god maybe existed too.  _ And god is a blonde australian korean named Bang Byungchan. You could say he was a CHRIS-CHAN! _

 

“Are you alright?” Ever the true gentleman, Chan had gotten up and offered a hand to you. 

 

“You’re one to talk! You just had a heavy chandelier come crashing down on your back!” you replied half worried and half incredulous.

 

“Oh, did it?” he grinned. You smacked him, sure he was fine and walked toward the remains of what you’d just swung from. 

 

There was nothing particularly odd about it and after a thorough inspection, it was as just as normal as the lamp beside your bed at home. Frustration and disappointment- mixed with guilt for having put a near stranger into a near death experience because of your immaturity- was making you tired. The thought of your bed at home just amplified the temptation to sleep even more. You wanted nothing more than to crawl into the familiar blankets and wake up tomorrow morning to discover that it had all been just a twisted nightmare. All of a sudden the lobby seemed very cold, and remembering your jacket was a pile of ash now, you pulled your bare arms close. Under the jacket made of pure money, you’d worn nothing more than a simple crop top with short sleeves and jean shorts. And hell wasn’t as hot as they’d made it out to be.

 

“Cold?” The inquiry came with a warm weight being thrown over your shoulders. Chan’s leather jacket was covering your back and arms, like a giant blanket. The oversized jacket had the lingering scent of vanilla mixed with cologne and the inside was soft against your exposed arms.  _ Scratch that, hell is scorching, because this boy is so hot!!  _

 

“Thanks.” You wrapped the thick fabric around you like a blanket and stuck your arms through the sleeves, which hung loose on your thinner arms. “What about you?”

 

He shrugged and grinned. “I’m so hot, I don’t need it!” he teased as if he’d read your mind.  _ Well, he’s not joking…  _

 

“Nah, I think you’re pretty cool,” you retaliated with finger guns and a flirty wink. Promptly afterwards your face exploded in red. 

 

_ Goddamnit self, why are you so embarrassing by nature?  _ Across from you, Chan’s cheeks were also dusted with pink, but you were too caught up in your idiocy to notice. Suddenly the floor had become really interesting, your eyes stuck on the carpet.

 

_ Wow, what interesting pentagrams….  _ Your scrutinizing vision landed on a certain incomplete pattern.  _ Oh my god, get with the program Pentagram #14, why are you missing the weird number three in the top left corner?!  _ Then it all clicked. The fast movement of your head snapping up made Chan jump and you gazed right at him with a fire lit in your eyes.

 

“We’ve been looking in the wrong place!” you blurted. When his (hot) eyebrow gave a quizzical lift, you went on to explain, pointing at the odd hiccup in the repetitive design.

“Look at that pentagram! ‘Should you always look up to the sky, the glimmer of the sun will make you blind.’ It means that when we were too busy focusing on the ceiling, when we should’ve been inspecting the carpet!!”

“Then…” His eyes widened as he stepped closer to the pentagram in question and crouched next to the missing symbol. “How do we complete it?”

 

~~~

 

You decided to sleep on it. Chan knew where to find the actual rooms because “after all, this  _ is _ a hotel” and the two of you chose a spacious yet dimly lit room, with two blood red beds. After slipping into a dreamless sleep, you found yourself pulled out of it to stare at the black ceiling, wishing of a way to fly up to the ninth floor immediately.  _ I wonder if Changbin misses me… I wonder if he realized I’m missing… I wonder if he realized his car is missing. What about university?! How can I miss the first day of classes?  _ Lots of thoughts began to brew on the top of you mind. Slowly they grew worse and worse, more and more distressing.  _ What if I never make it back? Will I even be able to die in hell? I’ve never even got the chance to live! I’ll just become the silly girl who went missing right before university. They won’t even give it a thought, the case will be brushed aside as a troubled teen who ran away from nerves or anxiety…  _ Before they could spiral out of hand, you forced yourself to sit up and pushed off the heavy blankets. Instead, you pulled Chan’s jacket closer and buried yourself in the folds of the extra large and extra warm shell. Deep breaths in brought the calming fragrance of faint vanilla into your lungs and you focused only on inhaling the sweet scent. Eventually your onslaught of awful thoughts ceased and you rose to take a breather- one that didn’t include sitting and inhaling Chan’s essence. 

 

In the lobby it was even darker than the room, and forgetting about the broken chandelier, you stumbled over a curved piece of golden bronze. Flying forwards in the pitch black, you instinctively threw out your arms to brace your fall. Hell of a lot of good that did, because you landed your hands right in the jagged field of sharp glass shards. Wincing, you rolled away from the ruins, until you were safely on the other side of the room. Something warm trickled down your wrist and you hissed at the iron smell of blood. You crawled with your hands out towards the general direction of the room. Without warning, a small spark crackled brightly and lit up the room for a split second before extinguishing and leaving you in the faint light of the dull lamps on the walls. The glow illuminated a broad, shadowed, figure who wore a worried expression. 

 

“Y/N, what are you doing?” Chan’s eyes squinted in the weak glow of… the carpet??

 

“I was just walking- minding my own business- and this chandelier attacked me!” you mocked offense, directing an accusatory finger at the wreckage- that you’d caused but that’s not important.

 

“The carpet beneath you is…  glowing? Wait- that’s the uncompleted pattern. The pattern is  filling in with-”

 

“My blood. Ew, Lucifer what the hell?” you laughed at your own shitty pun as you watched rusty red drip into the carpet, magically seeping into the perfect strokes to finish the odd three in the circle.

As the blood completed the missing symbol, the entire circle glowed a bright gold and sparks flew forward. Chan pulled you back from the now burning pentagram and a voice boomed in your head, like a PA system had turned on. 

 

_ “Good effort, you finally made it past the first trial.”  _ Sarcasm was too evident.

 

“Hey Lucy, how about you let us get to the next level huh?” you snapped back.

 

_ “Do  _ **_not_ ** _ call me that.” _

 

“What? Lucy? Lucy, Lucy, Lucy~!” you continued to press his nerves, which was probably not the best path to take, especially since he was the psycho who had you captive.

 

_ “Well, since you’ve finished the first task, the elevator has unlocked the second floor. Better get going, the doors will only stay open for so long~”  _

 

There was a drawn out sing-song hum and then his presence disappeared. You practically sPriNTeD toward the old Otis gates and threw them open, clamboring in and gesturing wildly at Chan to do the same. The Aussie followed suit and the two of you scanned the metal box for the button to the next level. The gold plate where the mission had been before was now glossy and rid of any words. Instead, a dark gold circle melted out from the plaque and slowly solidified into a shining button, with blood red rubies studded to form an elegant number two. Fingers fumbling, you quickly pressed it, anxious to get moving up. It seemed Satan had heard your prayers (do you even pray to Satan though) and the hellevator jolted as it rose slowly to the next level, the first floor disappearing beneath you. Swallowing down your nerves, you tried to focus on what the next twisted task would be.    
  
Meanwhile your partner in hell was focusing on the evident frown on your face- wishing to replace it with a smile- and matching in unhappily.


	2. Floor 2: Sipping from the Styx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTICE: Newly updated first chapter, with better flow, less errors, and slightly more profanity in select places for better impact! Some things have changed from the original first chapter, so I recommend you reread it (especially since this hasn't been updated in FOREVER and a little refresher wouldn't hurt).
> 
> WARNING! Alcoholic illusions and drunkenness in this chapter! Not NSFW, but if you are uncomfortable with alcohol or drinking, skip this chapter.

A loud bing alerted you that you’d finally risen to the second floor. You were met with a shining lounge decorated with sleek pitch black tables and deep red lights shone from underneath the bar table. The high chairs were a shimmering silver with rubies adorning the tops. It was poorly lit (did Satan have an allergy to bright lights or something?) like the last floor, but the shelves behind the bar were illuminated well with red lights. Countless bottles of wines, beers, gins, tequila and expensive vodkas were on display proudly letting the light glint off the glass.

 

“Guess Lucifer likes to party once in a while.” Chan gestured at the glamorous lounge and its adjacent dance floor. As if summoned by his name, the son of a devil’s voice boomed loudly.

 

_“Yes, you’d never believe it, but I throw one hell of a party. Every infernal spirit, demon and monster comes from miles around to let loose in this very club. Lucifer’s Lounge!”_

 

He finished the last word with a flourish in his tone. Imagining Lucifer partying with a bunch of horrifying creatures made you feel sick standing in the room- god knew what kind of slime monster could’ve come through here!

 

_“The mission from now on will be presented evidently, since it’ll be hard to carry them out and if I don’t make it obvious enough you’ll die too fast~ I need to be entertained! After all, the only company I’ve had for the past decade and a half has been this dusty little boy standing next to you.”_

 

You didn’t find Chan too little, much less boyish or dusty, but you let the statement go, choosing to pick on Lucifer in retaliation instead.

 

“You’re just too lazy to make more complicated riddles aren’t you?” you pointed out since it was the devil’s bloody job to kill people.

 

 _“.... Maybe.”_ he replied after a long pause, and it seemed you’d hit the nail right on the head.

 

_“But no matter, you’ll not survive the tasks anyway. Speaking of which, I should give you your second task.”_

 

“You’re not going to put a note on the elevator for us?” you pretend to be hurt, “Why not?”

 

_“It’s not worth my magic to give the elevator a new makeover every time I have to tell you something. Talking is much easier and I get to indulge in both your burning annoyance and face of sweet despair!”_

 

Maybe your salt was showing too much. You didn’t want to give him the pleasure of seeing you were pissed off, but you also couldn’t help your temper.

 

_“Now, I’m sure you’ve been to a party before. And what’s a party without drinks? Fortunately my club serves the most sought out dram in the entire underworld. Crafted from the wrathful waters of the main river of hell, blended with the blood of the Furies, infused with the breath of the Fates and laced with the ground salts of the Elysian Fields. Since you’re our honored guests, I insist you have a glass! Two Styx Margaritas coming right up for the lovely lady and her accompaniment!”_

 

As soon as he finished introducing what sounded like a hellish drink, spotlights flashed on, brightening a table with two tall curved glasses, filled to the brim with a foggy black liquid. Maybe it was in your head, but you thought you heard faint screams of agony coming from the refreshments but as you approached they faded away. You had to say, Lucifer had sung praise and served accordingly. Even if if was black, the swirling brew was captivating and there were darker clouds floating around in it. When you examined it closer there were shimmering glint of silver glitter inside those clouds. Fine red dust lined the lip of the glass and sparkled in the light. On a good day you might have admitted the drink looked tantalizing and you may even had downed it in one shot. But you were in hell, and this was a gift from Lucifer. Which meant it had to be bad news.

 

 _“The challenge for this level is to drink the whole glass. Simple as that.”_ Lucifer surprised you with his voice, you’d been so lost in admiring the beautiful margarita.

 

“Really?!?” you were surprised. Without a second thought you sat down and picked up the drink you’d been staring at. Chan sat down as well, much slower and much more hesitant.

 

“Well then Channie-boy, bottoms up!” you chirped and lifted the cup up to clink your glasses together. Bringing the drink up to your lips you took a small- more like gigantic- sip.

 

 _“Oh, did I mention? It’s effects are so extreme on mere humans that they normally pass out. Other effects include hallucinations, mood swings, memory problems, impaired judgement, paranoia, anxiety, vomiting, nausea and euphoria followed by apathy among other symptoms. It’s a thousand times stronger than any man-made alcohol and in extreme cases can cause comas or death.”_ Lucifer took the liberty of telling you the health risks late. Much like any other shady drug dealer.

 

When the shot slid down your throat, it felt like liquid flames lapping at the insides of your throat even though there’d been large cubes of ice in the drink. At first it tasted sweet, but that sugary lie disappeared on your tongue, turning bitter and coarse in your esophagus. Stars flashed across your vision and black started leaking around the edges of you sight. You managed to spit out some choice words for Lucifer, then you felt your body fall to the floor, the thump echoing in your head before you blacked out for the second time in only 30 hours.

 

~~~

 

_Leaping flames. Red eyes peering in the dark. Shrill screams piercing your eardrums. Pain ricocheted up and down your spine, reaching from deep in your chest to the tips of your fingers. White butterflies suddenly fill your vision and now you’re in a grassy field. Poofy dandelions dotted and healthy shrubs dotted the meadow. Only a few feet in front of you stood what looked like Chan but his face was blurred out by a black smear of shadow. You tried to take a step towards him but you were stuck in place and as you tried to call out to him your words were muted. Immediately after opening your mouth strange smouldering sparks lit up in the middle of his chest. Spreading faster and faster the sparks fanned into flames. It engulfed your companion and you watched in horror as it jumped into the grass, lighting up the dry leaves quickly. Rising like a wildfire, now the flames raged havoc on the once-peaceful clearing and everything burned. Wild sparks caught on the white butterflies wings and seared them into dust like paper that had been lit, crumpling in on themselves. The screams had returned again and were now clearer. Voices called out: Help! Save us! Don’t let him in! Now you felt the fire licking your own ankles as it rose to trap you in it’s grasp. Panic rose in the back of your throat, bringing up bile and a sick feeling foreboding vomit built up in your stomach. As if your eyes had glitched, you saw Chan’s figure again, flickering like a broken display. His face was still hidden but now two gleaming red eyes shone through the heat. You opened your mouth to scream but instead a dark black liquid poured out. Hacking and choking you hurled the murky substance without a pause, lips burning at the touch of the mystery poison. You felt tears well up in your eyes and the world around you spun as you slowly suffocated yourself on this unnatural vomit._

 

_~~~_

You awoke with a cry and the sweat covering your forehead suggested you’d just run a 4 mile race. Blurry Chan drifted into your eyesight and his face was pulled into a worried frown as he leaned over you. Your hands reached to pull his collar and you leapt up, grasping the material harshly.

 

“What are you?!?!?” you screamed angrily, senses impaired and in shock from the terrible vision you’d just experienced.

Chan didn’t reply. Or maybe he did, his lips moved but you didn’t register the sounds. For a second you thought you saw his eyes flash red and you scrambled back, hitting the edge of a chair with your flailing arms.

 

“Get the fuck away from me!!” you ordered in a shaken voice.

 

He made a move to reach for you but you screamed loudly and staggered up, giving a sorry half-attempt to run away. Even sober you wouldn’t have stood a chance.

 

“You’re- I- you burned- the fire was scorching- you monster- no!” stuttered words spilled out of your mouth, slurred and incomprehensible.

 

A small part of your impaired consciousness wondered why the room kept tilting and spinning. Most of your brain was effectively made useless and served only to give you terrifying nightmarish hallucinations.

 

“Y/N you need to calm down, I’m not going to burn anything.” Chan spoke firmly and tried to approach you again.

 

The half-conscious part of you believed him but your feet still moved back. Seeing he wasn’t going to be getting anywhere by chasing you around the club, Chan stopped and opted to attempt verbal reassurance for now.

 

“Nothing is going to hurt you. You just had a really bad dream,” in other circumstances you might have shot back at him for treating you like a child, but presently you were in no condition to give any sort of resistance.

 

“I won’t let anything hurt you. You’re safe now. Run if you want to, I won’t chase you, but I can help you keep the bad dreams from coming back.”

 

“How do I know you won’t hurt me?” you demanded, part of you still in fear.

 

“Don’t you remember?,” he pointed at the jacket you wore- his jacket, “Just like then, I won’t let anything touch you. Trust me and let me protect you.”

 

Your dilated and shaking pupils fell to examine the jacket. Taking a breath the same familiar scent of vanilla filled your sinuses, calming and reminiscent of the man standing in front of you. Even when your sense were influenced by the hellish margarita your brain could still register the safety that came with that smell.

 

“Chan.” you whispered hesitantly as if you were asking a question.

 

“Yes. It’s me. Don’t worry,” Chan’s shoulders relaxed slightly his eyes softening, “Whatever scared you is gone now. It won’t hurt you as long as I’m here.”

 

Your eyes blurred with tears and you felt them stream down your face leaving hot trails of salt water. Your body shook and breaking down you let the sobs spill out. In between the hiccups you took slow steps toward Chan accelerating into a run. Sprinting you crashed into his stable arms and let the tears soak freely into his blue flannel shirt.

 

“I was- I couldn’t move- I was so scared, everything was burning- even the butterflies.” you cried, choppy words even more confusing with the addition of your drunk state. But Chan could still somehow decipher your fear and knew exactly what to say.

 

“Don’t move then. If you can’t move I’ll carry you. If you can’t scream, I’ll call out _for you_ and come running,” his hands brushed through your hair, palms covering three fourths of your head, “The monsters can’t chase you back into the real world.”

 

It stayed like this for a while and you fell into a safe silence. Your sobs died down into softer hiccups and you only shivered once in a while. Unashamed your whole body wrapped around the taller Aussie boy and his shielded you from the hell outside. Suddenly Chan started humming quietly. After a few beats he began singing.

 _“_ _Well you done done me and you bet I felt it,_

_I tried to be chill but you're so hot I melted,_

_I fell right through the cracks,_

_And now I'm trying to get back~~_ _”_

You felt your heartbeats syncopate with the rhythm of the song as he continued and your tight tensity ebbed away.

_“But I won't hesitate no more, no more~_

_It cannot wait, I'm yours~”_

Swaying gently with the melody you let your fear drift away, to a place where it wouldn’t come back.

_“Well open up your mind and see like me,_

_Open up your plans and damn you're free,_

_Look into your heart and you'll find love love, love, love~”_

Clear and strong vocals carried away the dark thoughts and you felt your eyes droop until they closed and you fell asleep in Chan’s arms, rocking you like a fragile child.

 

~~~

 

A splitting headache was the first thing that greeted you upon your return from dreamland. Black spots danced around your vision and your brain felt like a pile of bricks, pounding angrily in your skull. The pain watered your eyes and you wondered why you didn’t bring Advil™  with you for your migraines. Through your limited vision, you made out the broad-shouldered silhouette of your resident Aussie in hell, his sturdy arms keeping your from slumping onto the floor.

 

“Good lord! My head hurts like it was put in a meat grinder.” you grimaced and tried to blink away the pain-induced tears, making an effort to grin.

 

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Chan joked with a goofy smile.

 

“I feel like I resemble the Beast more, dontcha think?”

 

“I disagree. You could definitely pass for Belle anyday.” he retorted, his voice so sure that even in your dreadful state you still had the audacity to flush red at his sudden compliment and turn your face to the ground in panic.

 

“Did you know that Belle actually means beautiful in French?” your dead neurons frantically tried to divert the conversation to something that would let the blush fade quickly.

 

“Exactly why it’s so fitting. You really _are_ beautiful, even under all that mess, you’re strong and you’re gonna make it through this hell.”

The sincerity was so evident in his words that you couldn’t help but look back at his eyes and search for even a hint of dishonesty. There was not a flicker of doubt in either of his dusky chocolate orbs. For a long moment you could only stare and soak in every feature of his face, a clean jawline, the two deep dimples that appeared on the sides of his soft smile and his curly hair that was reminiscent of ramen noodles. _Fluffy…Ha ha Ramen Head!_ You let a hand rise unconsciously and placed it timidly on top of his luscious locks. As if your hand had gained a life of it’s own, it kept patting his head, the curls bouncing happily with each pat. It was almost like they were jumping up and down. The thought made you giggle. Meanwhile the poor boy whose hair you were molesting was slowly but surely turning into a tomato.

 

~~~

 

Shivering slightly, you lifted the cup full of satanic liquor for the second time. The black color had changed into a deep purple and the clouds had transformed into a stunning, swirling galaxy. Blends of purple, indigo and dark blue created the illusion of a mini universe within your glass. This time you were aware of the sinister dangers behind the seemingly innocent drink. The underlying consequences were not so pretty and you didn’t really want to experience them again. But then again, you also wanted to get out of hell, and that sentiment was much stronger than your fear of the drink. So you womaned up and sat in front of the devil’s cup once again. You took deep breaths as Chan gave you a rather sloppy shoulder massage and grasped the glass tightly.

 

“To hell with it!” you joked and snorted at your own _hilarious_ comedy before forcing the drink down your throat.

 

This time you made sure to chug as much of it as you could before passing out from the damned drink. It was thanks to your friendly neighborhood Aussie that you remained upright when you went unconscious. Chan held you up with two firm hands and shook you a bit to check if you were truly incapacitated. He concluded that you would probably benefit from being laid down somewhere more comfortable to rest. The boy scooped you up and slung you over his back crudely, hanging you limply over his right shoulder, and muttering apologies under his breath which would enlighten only deaf ears. It was hard to navigate the dim club room but he squinted enough to see the only door. He pushed it open with his free hand and an equally dark room that was substantially smaller that the spacious club. Though it was poorly lit, he could make out a luxurious magenta bed, covered in silk and framed by satin curtains. Chan gladly dumped you on the mattress, if a little unceremoniously. You had been heavier than he expected and the heavy lifting  combined with the stress of seeing you collapse multiple times had tired him out. Maybe just once he decided he could close his eyes and take a break for a moment…

 

~~~

 

The poor, exhausted, young man was awoken from his well-needed rest by something attacking his neck. He scrunched his nose and knit his brows, which gave the effect that he was squishing his whole face inward. The sense  of an imminent danger caused him to snap his eyes in panic, as he readied himself for fight of flight. To his surprise, the “thing” attacking his neck was in fact your finger. This time, you were showing signs of drunken impulses, one of which had been to poke Chan’s neck.

 

“Hey ʰᶦᶜ if you’re ‘possed to be a vampire… where are your ʰᶦᶜ Where are your bite marks?!?” You demanded angrily, convinced that the innocent boy was hiding something from you. 

 

“I-I- Y/N, I’m not a vampire!” Chan protested as he defended himself from your persistent poking attacks. 

 

“You’re not? Huh? Then why ʰᶦᶜ are you so pale?? And preeettyy?” You squinted at him questioningly and slowly approached his face.

 

“I’ve always been like this- wait, you think I’m pretty?” 

 

“Ugh, yes. You’re ʰᶦᶜ the most beautiful fucking man I’ve ever met! It’s so ʰᶦᶜ frustrating!!!” The margaritas were working some loosening magic on your tongue. 

 

“Oh yeah? And why is it so frustrating?” Chan smirked, toying around.

 

“You’re definitely ʰᶦᶜ prettier than me! That’s not fair!” You crossed your arms and stuck your chin, pouting intensely.

 

“I’m not so sure about that!” he laughed endearingly.

 

“That’s the other thing! You ʰᶦᶜ you, you! You keep making me ʰᶦᶜ think you like me back! But you ʰᶦᶜ you’re way out of my league!” Everything spilled out like the black liquid slipping around in your stomach.

 

“So you like me?” Chan’s eyes widened in shock.

 

“Yea you big dummy! I really like you! So stop ʰᶦᶜ playing with my fucking feelings dammit!” You yelled, tears forming at the corners of your glassy, intoxicated eyes.

 

“We just met, less than two days ago, how can you be so sure?” Chan asked gently.

 

“I don’t know! Ask my ʰᶦᶜ emotions that question! It’s like ʰᶦᶜ like I feel we’ve been together for months!” 

 

“I- I don’t understand…Please, just calm down, the styx water must be getting to you.” Chan panicked at your sudden outbursts of emotion.

 

“No dumbass! Hasn’t anyone told you? Alcohol doesn’t ʰᶦᶜ create emotions! It only ʰᶦᶜ amplifies emotions that are already there!”

 

You were yelling at him in a drunken frustration. He bit his lip, debating what to say next, which gave you time to speak again.

 

“I think it might be your poofy hair… Or is it your willingness to help, even when it ʰᶦᶜ hurts you?” You thought it over in a mock seriousness.

 

“Poofy hair?” He parroted, lips turning upward at your childish words.

 

“I know! It’s this! That dimple! The ʰᶦᶜ smiley dimple! When you smile you have this ʰᶦ- adorably deep dimple that comes out!” 

 

“Yeah, I’ve been told.” Chan grinned, showing his dimple more on purpose.

 

“Mhmm ʰᶦᶜ ha. When you do that…I just ʰᶦᶜ wanna give them a little-” You cut yourself off by closing the space between your faces.

 

You pressed your lips lightly on the spot where his dimple was, brushing his cheek and barely grazing his own lips in the process. In the moment you had moved forward, you could capture his eyes widening and his lips parting slightly, taken by surprise.

 

“Kiss.” 

 

You whispered to finish your thought, so quietly, it was almost just a breath. Then just as the tension had all built up, you fell victim to the styx water again and went unconscious again, but not before you could wrap your arms around the frozen Aussie boy.

 

~~~

 

The next time you woke up, you were back on the bed. Chan sat on a chair near the wall across from the bed, which was covered in a large mirror and had strings of lightbulbs hanging from nails on either side, crisscrossing to provide most of the little light in the room. 

 

“Hey, you’re finally awake.” Chan greeted you with a small smile. 

 

“Yeah, and I’m not surprised my head hurts like hell again.” You groaned. 

 

There were snippets of images that floated around your mind.  _ Memories?  _ But they were flashes of you kissing Chan?  _ They must have been all a dream. There’s no way I’d do something that stupid! The styx water just wants me to think I did.  _ Plus, Chan wasn’t acting all weird and you had woken up on the bed instead of draped over the poor guy. 

 

“So how was this session of: Watch Over the Unconcious Girl?” You grinned, trying to lighten the pain in your head from trying to remember the whole dream.

 

“Well I thought you’d recover better if you were lying down somewhere more suitable than the floor, so I found this,” He gestured to the room you were in, “I think it’s- uhm-, Lucifer’s  _ private  _ room, if you know what I mean.”

 

“Ew.”

 

You wanted to get out as soon as possible. It took all your willpower to decide to finish the margarita, but you began to muster up your strength. You attempted to lift yourself from the bed, but ended up falling on the floor instead. Chan made a move to help you up but you dismissed it.

 

“Let me crawl like the sad, sad creature I am.” You hissed cynically.

 

On your hands and knees, you crawled pathetically over to the door and after struggling with the knob, Chan opened it for you, gesturing for you to go through. You snorted, tried to flip your hair and continued to crawl. To get to the bar counter on the other side of the club, you’d have to crawl across the dance floor. You forced yourself not to think of what could’ve been on that floor from parties in the past. Eventually you made it your destination and with great effort, hoisted yourself onto the bar stool. 

 

“So we meet again, my liquidy foe…!” You stared down the glass which was a third full of a substance that was now a blood red with golden specks floating in it. 

 

You were certain you could finish it in one last giant gulp, yet your hesitated. The last time you had seen this glass, you could have sworn it was half full. Suspicious, you glanced over at Chan and gave him a quizzical look. He just shrugged in reply. You didn’t have to wonder for long though, because a voice thundered through the empty club.

 

_ “Attention contestants of Hellevator, hosted by yours truly! It seems that one of you has  _ **_cheated_ ** _!”  _ Lucifer's voice darkened and deepen on the last word.  _ “By drinking some of your partner’s margarita, you skew the results! Normal circumstances would have me kill the cheater, but since this particular swine seems to be close to my  _ favorite  _ contestant, I’ll give a much lighter punishment. You now have sixty seconds to complete this floor’s quest before the wraiths come. Starting… now!”  _

 

“Holy _ fuck! _ How is that any lighter!??!” You cursed and gripped the glass, panic strengthening your hold on it and causing your knuckles to whiten.

 

“I’m so sorry- I didn’t know it would-” Chan tried to stutter an apology.

 

“No time for apologies! Get your ass on the elevator! And catch me if I collapse!” You replied firmly. 

 

You knew it would be bad if those wraiths, or whatever Lucifer had planned to come after you got the chance. Before you could think about it more you snagged the styx margarita and started quickly towards the crisscrossed doors of the elevator. Halfway there you lifted the glass to your lips and gulped down the last of the liquid in it. Immediately, the world twisted and turned, warping into waves of vague color. It was hard to make out clear outlines but your focus came and went inconsistently. You felt Chan drag you across the floor and throw open the gates, bringing you into the elevator with him. Then you heard the musical chime of bells resound in your pounding head. High-pitched, bone dry screeches caused a dissonance in the melodical chimes. A hooded, grey-faced creature with cracked skin pulled tight over unnaturally defined bones crashed into the golden gates of the elevator. You scrambled away on the floor, trying to avoid it’s long fingers, as thin as spider’s legs and started horrified at its featureless face, without a mouth, eyes, or nose.  _ This must be a wraith _ . The margarita you had downed made the horror look even more menacing and muddle your vision so that it seemed to twist and grab at you like a tree in the wind. With your ability to scream gone, you simply trembled in silence. Chan practically punched the newly-appeared button and the sudden jolt upward made you jump. Eventually, the slow smooth movement of the elevator rising lulled you into a temporary sense of safety and you let yourself slip into unconsciousness once more.


	3. Floor 3: Diving with the Devil

     When you woke up this time, it was on something that was considerably less comfortable than a 5-star bed. Your head was finally letting up and you thanked god that you wouldn’t have to drink another drop of that demonic dram. It appeared that you were in a large pool room and that you had been placed on a deck chair off to the side. The surface of the pool was a clear light turquoise, but the depths of its water was a dark midnight blue that was opaque enough to hide the entire bottom under a mysterious veil. You were about to move when you noticed that draped over you while you lay on the deck chair was none other than Chan’s jacket, vanilla scent and all. After the first floor and before you got completely wrecked by the Styx water, you recalled how you had returned it to him.

 

     Worried about the foreign friend who’d saved your life countless times already, you slung your legs off the chair, leaving the jacket behind, carefully making your way around the various puddles on the floor. Sparkling gold, blue and white tiles covered the ground while small glistening spots of water dotted the patterned porcelain. You scanned the room for the  tall boy and listened for his familiar accented voice.  _ Nothing. _ You squinted at the other side of the pool. Yet again, Lucifer had decided to cut the electricity bill by using so little light that it felt like you were in a cave. 

 

“Hey.” A voice came out of the shadows along with a hand on your shoulder, making you jump as high as a terrified kangaroo. Thankfully, it was just the guy that you were looking for earlier.

 

“For the love of churros, would you please approach me like a normal fucking person?!” you screeched. Then you screeched again. But it wasn’t because of what he had done, more like what he hadn’t done.

 

“Holy SHIT! Put on a shirt!!” You squeezed your eyes shut and flailed your arms around as if it would help a shirt materialize on his back.

 

“Don’t like it?” he teased, a comment that caused you to flail your arms faster and turn redder.

 

“What happened to human decency?!” 

 

“Calm down, I’m just gonna fulfill our mission for this floor,” he replied laughing.

 

“Half-naked?!?” 

 

“Yes, I took my shirt off because I work best half-naked,” he said sarcastically. “It’s for this floor’s mission. You can open your eyes, it won’t kill you to see my bare chest.” 

 

_      That’s what you think,  _ you thought, as he clarified, forcing you to accept your fate.

 

“Hilarious. Your skin is so white it’ll blind me if I look directly at it,” you scoffed back, opening your eyes cautiously. 

 

     It wasn’t that it was horrifying to look at, in fact, it was quite enamoring. And that’s what terrified you. You didn’t normally drool over men with muscles — if you were taking interest in guys at all— — but you couldn’t stop staring.  _ Look at those  _ **_biceps_ ** _! Wait, what kind of mission would give me this bless— _ — _ I mean— _ — _ require Chan to strip? Oh god, is it skinny dipping? I don’t wanna take off my clothes!! I have so many scars and dark spots!!! Not to mention stretch marks! _

 

“Just what exactly is this mission?” you asked with a hint of suspicion. 

 

“Well, we’re supposed to swim to the bottom of the pool and unplug it. It’s pretty dark though,” he explained, pointing to the coffin-shaped pool.

 

“No problem! Let me do it! I worked as a lifeguard part-time to pay for my tuition!” you boasted proudly, glad to have a mission where you could take the lead.

 

“Hmm, tempting, but no. Did I tell you I won lots of swimming competitions back in Sydney?” He raised his slitted brow.

 

     You dropped your proud shoulders inward.  _ Then I guess it’s just another floor where I sit and watch him save me…  _

 

“Hey, I don’t want you to run out of breath looking for the plug. Plus, I’m already  _ un _ -dressed for the occasion!” He seemed to have notice you deflate and tried to lift the mood.

 

“Yeah, it’s better for  _ both _ of us this way.” You feigned cheerfulness and pretended to check him out jokingly. His laughter assured your acting skills. 

 

     Honestly, you were feeling useless. Since the moment you’d stepped into this hell, you had almost burned to death, caused a chandelier to fall on the two of you, cut yourself on the shards of said chandelier, gone unconscious three times, gotten penalized by Lucifer because you couldn’t finish your drink by yourself, and barely escaped the hands of a wraith.  _ Not looking too good.  _ Your list of mistakes loomed over your head and weighed you down. The figurative load, made you want to sit down, so you unlaced your Converse, pulled off your socks, lowered yourself onto the tiles, hanging your legs over the edge and let the lukewarm pool water splash your legs until a few inches beneath your knees. Chan readied himself for the dive into the depths of the dark pool with a variety of stretches that accented his various well-toned muscles. Staring at his equally well-built back, you noticed two large, gash-like, scars running along his shoulder blades. 

 

“What happened to your back?” you blurted out accidentally. He turned to you wearing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

 

“An accident. They’re pretty big aren’t they?” He sighed and traced his fingers along the lines as if he had memorized where they were. You bit your lip. It was obviously a touchy subject.

 

     Suddenly you felt guilty. You had been self-conscious about your small imperfections and now you had just pointed out Chan’s scars — a part of him that had brought up negative emotions.  _ I’m such an asshole. And a hypocrite to boot. Add that to my list of fuckups.  _ Then you felt the hairs on your legs stand on edge, sensing movement in the water. You held up a hand, signaling to Chan to stop.

 

“Wait. There’s something in here,” you announced slowly.

 

     Without warning, the calm water broke and a figure surfaced next to your legs. You had just enough time to shut your eyes before it splashed your entire top half with water. 

 

     When you rubbed away the water blurring your vision, you gasped at what had gripped the rim of the pool on your left. It’s arms were a blend of fair skin on the bottom and shimmering rose gold scales that sprinkled the top of the slim limbs. Between it’s fingers — which were perfectly manicured in a matching shade — there was a thin film that joined each digit and from it’s wrists grew small fins that were light pink. Before you could inspect the arms more, it’s head surfaced and promptly soaked the rest of your poor crop top. If the arms made you gasp, the head made your breath stop.

 

     Instead of the monster you had expected, a stunning young woman had surfaced, albeit a tad bit different than your normal lady. Where her ears should have been, there were instead fins, much like the ones on her wrists that fanned out elegantly. They framed a face with beautiful blue eyes that could rival the shining pool water, a softly shaped nose, a small mouth and a defined jaw. Flowing, strawberry blonde, hair that slowly faded to a pastel pink in an ombre effect surrounded her shoulders; encaptivating your eyes as it floated and swirled in the water as if it were magic. Her skin was flawless and clear of impurities save for the glittering scales that dotted her neck—which also had six slits, resembling gills—and continued down past her collarbone. She was the perfect blend of beauty and the sea.  _ Like Aphrodite and Poseidon had a lovechild or something. _

 

     You tried to swallow, but your mouth was dry. For some reason, you were scared to check if Chan’s reaction was anything like what you were experiencing right now.  _ I have  _ never _ seen a more gorgeous woman. She’s like a goddess.  _

 

     While you were busy questioning your sexuality, Chan had begun to ask questions.

 

“Who are you?”  _ Was that a sigh? Is he enamoured? Most likely, I mean I would be too- _

 

“I am Vega. I’ve been trapped here since Lucifer ripped me from my home after I turned down his temptations. He cursed me, turning me into a monster,” she answered, with a melodic voice.

 

     It was almost musical, as if she had been singing instead of speaking.  _ Damn. Even her voice is beautiful. _ You had to admit a part of you was envious of her, just a miniscule part. 

 

“Uh, I’m Y/N, and this is Chan. We’re also trapped here, but we’re fighting to get out and we need to unplug this pool,” you introduced yourself a little less smoothly.

 

“Unplug the pool? But I cannot survive without it.” Vega shook her head. 

 

     To make her point, she lifted the rest of her body out of the water. Beneath her shoulders, her torso was perfectly sculpted, curving in just the right spots. A coral pink swath of fabric that was fraying at the seams was the only thing that wrapped around her chest to cover it.  _ Yet she still looks amazing in rags.  _ You let your gaze slide down to her waist, where her legs should have been. In their place was a thick, muscular tail, completely coated in the same rose gold scales that were scattered across her body, reflecting what little light shone in the room and making it seem like she was glowing.  _ Jeez, a glowing, pink mermaid with no imperfections. That’s some hard competition.  _

 

“If we get out of here, we can force Lucifer into lifting the curse and setting you free,” Chan offered to help. 

 

_      He’ll help anyone, because he’s so kind. I’m no special exception.  _ You couldn’t stop the comparison from coming. You couldn’t understand why you kept having these self-deprecating thoughts.  _ As if Chan was so  _ special  _ to me. I’m just the same to him. Just a bit of company in hell.  _ Vega seemed to contemplate the offer. Before you could tell if she’d come to a conclusion, she disappeared under the water with a great splash. You opened your mouth to make some sort of snappy remark about her but then another wave that signified her resurfacing filled your throat with pool water, effectively shutting you up. 

 

“I will lead you to the plug. Follow me.” Vega gestured with her head for Chan to dive into the water. 

 

     He was about to jump in but something made you move to stop him and you instinctively gripped his arm. When he turned back to face you, panic kicked in immediately causing you to blurt out a reply. 

 

“I’ll see you again soon mate.” You half-laughed as you put on a false heavy Australian accent. Chan grinned.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be back,” he replied, smiling as if reassuring you before he dove into the depths of the pool. Then the last sign of him was the soft ripples left from his entry into the darkness.

 

~~~

 

     Time passed slowly as you sat alone on the lounge chair on the pool deck, quietly gazing at the water. You found yourself losing yourself in your thoughts once again. This concluded your theory that nobody should be isolated from other humans for long periods of time. You technically weren’t completely isolated, since you had Chan, but you missed the outside world and society.  _ I wonder how I’d explain to Changbin that I disappeared off the face of the Earth for who knows how long? What if time moves differently and when I come back he’s a grandpapa with many grandchildren, all with freckles, triangle chins and deep voices. What if his grandchildren have more swag than me?!?!  _ Your mind was starting to come up with weird scenarios again… Like that time when you imagined Changbin as a ballerina princess.

 

_      Oh god, what if Chan is sent back home with me??!  _ How would you explain the fact that you had returned with a fully grown Australian man in his stolen/borrowed sports car? _ “Oh hey Bin, I just wanted to return your black BMW, oh and also I brought you a Chan as a souvenir!”  _ Changbin would lose his shit. _ The last time I touched his precious car when I hadn’t been properly sterilized, he started yelling and stuck his chin out threateningly.  _ You wondered how Gyu — Changbin’s second favorite car (his favorite car was called Stay) — was doing. Since it cost almost 12 times more than your Gucci coat you were immensely worried about the debt you would face if any harm came to that car. Not to mention the rage and grudge it would cause Changbin.  _ What if someone stole Gyu??? Oh lord I think I’d rather stay in hell, because it’ll be safer than anywhere on earth if I returned to a stolen Gyu.  _ Gyu was very dear to your best friend and sometimes you wondered if he loved the car more than you. It was named after Changbin’s childhood Munchlax plushie which he could never sleep a wink without.  _ When his toy Gyu disappeared once because Seungmin stole if for kicks, Changbin bawled for hours like a baby until Felix stole it back for him. _ You laughed thinking about how your so-called dark friend had clung to the poor freckled boy, wailing about how he’d never be able to sleep again.

 

“How would Chan fit in with our crazy group of friends?” you wondered aloud. 

 

     You imagined him laughing along with the rest of you as you teased Changbin and him getting along well with Felix due to the fact they could converse together in their Aussie accents.  _ Speaking of Chan, I wonder where he is? It’s been a while since he dived in there…  _ You fixed your sight on the murky waters of the pool. It’d gotten thicker and darker than it had been when you first awakened. 

 

     You frowned. It felt like it had been forever since Chan had entered those waters, and since you had a terrible sense of time while deep in thought, you didn’t know if it had been 2 minutes or 2 hours. Suddenly a horrible sense of nausea seemed to wash over you. Without the quirky Aussie, you felt very alone in the dark and vast room. Quicker than you could call out his name, you rushed over to the edge of the pool. You knew it was impossible for him to be able to hear you through so many tonnes of water. Instead you tried in vain to sense any movement in the water. Not a ripple. It was like a veil of silent death had lowered itself onto the surface of the water.  _ Shouldn’t there at least be small bubbles surfacing because he needs to release the air in his lungs?  _ With that thought, the unsettling feeling latched onto you and sent you into a paranoiac state. Without a second thought, you took a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the cloudy pool.

 

     The pool water swirled around you upon your entry, almost as if it was angrily trying to push you back out. Instead you let your eyes open, praying to God that your years of training as a lifeguard, had sharpened your ability to swim with your eyes open in water. To your delight, the hours of practice had stuck and you were able to fully open your eyes in the foggy water. You swished your head back and forth through the water, finding that the resistance was incredible. It was like the water had thickened so much that every drop was heavy and required ten times the strength to push out of the way. With great effort you advanced slowly through water, towards the bottom. 

 

     All the while you squinted through the shadows of the water and tried in vain to spot any sign of Chan in the depths. Abruptly, a dark spur of movement darted across the corner of your eye and disappeared. Taken by surprise, you turned your head around and struggled to find the thing that had cast the shadow. Deep down you prayed it was Chan, that your anxious imagination had gotten the best of you. Sadly, the shadow had vanished as if it had never been there at all. So you continued your search, cutting through the water with more urgency, adrenaline running through your veins.

 

     You were making good speed until a strong force yank without warning. Like an invisible hand had pulled you back, you felt something dragging you backwards. This set off alarms in your mind and you whipped your head to see what was behind you. All you caught sight of was a dark shadow swimming away faster than your eyes could follow. Desperation took hold and you pressed forward, even though you were beginning to feel a pressure in your chest.  _ Whatever was holding me back must not want me to find Chan. He’s definitely this way if there’s something trying to stop me from going this way. Which means that I have to do the opposite.  _

 

     Again the malevolent force tugged you back, this time with more speed and instead of turning your head, you let your arm shoot out and reach behind you. For a split second you had the thing in your grasp. You felt chillingly cold limbs and there came a hiss from behind you. You took the chance to flip yourself around and looked straight into the black orbs of a creature that sent shivers down your spine. Although it resembled a mermaid, it was no Ariel. It was gaunt and ragged, skin grey and torn and eyes that were set in a terrifyingly ugly face. It’s thin hair swayed in the water, and as it opened its mouth, you saw rows upon rows of tiny needle-like teeth, sharp enough to tear through your flesh. The terrible thing let out a high pitched noise, like a hiss and a screech combined to create a frightening sound that clashed with the silence of the water. The thought of whatever this was having something to do with Chan’s disappearance enraged you and every ounce of fear left your body, replaced by anger that filled your head and steeled your nerves. 

 

     With an incredible amount of strength you didn’t know you could produce, you kicked the horrendous monster in the head, silencing it’s ear piercing cry and using the force of the contact to propel you forward, pushing off of its chest. Time was running against you as you fought against both your waning supply of oxygen and the creature that was now only temporarily knocked out. Using the adrenaline that had doubled in your body that had doubled thanks to the close encounter with that sea demon, you pulled yourself through the water with newfound speed. 

 

     Finally you spotted a figure floating idly in the depths near the bottom of the pool. The familiar chestnut hair that was suspended in the zero gravity environment could only belong to one person. Chan’s body was limp and his limbs were slack, his arms lifted up as if he had been reaching for the surface before he lost consciousness. His black jeans stuck to his legs which were just as lifeless. Your eyes flicked upward to his face. The boy’s eyes were closed and his lips were beginning to turn purple. Though his expression looked serene, his skin was even paler than normal. Just behind him you could see the plug to the pool, which he had been unable to reach before he blacked out. Although it was so close, Chan’s safety was far more important than completing the mission at this point. Fear gripped your senses, and thoughts of what would happen if he was indeed void of life swamped your mind. From your prior experience and training as a lifeguard, you knew you didn’t have a moment to waste if you wanted any chance of saving him.

 

     You moved to position yourself behind him, hooking your arms around his shoulders from beneath and wrapping them around to ensure you had a solid grip on him before you began to tow him back to the surface. Fortunately, the lack of gravity worked to your advantage as the heavy foreigner would have been impossible to carry on land but you were slowly and surely losing breath. Pouring the last of your energy into your resurface attempt, you furiously pushed your legs through the water dragging Chan with you. 

 

     A little less than halfway to the surface you felt yourself weakening. Dismissing the growing stress you were exerting to stay underwater for so long, you forced yourself to persevere. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the terrible creature moving again as you passed it. Despair caught hold of you and your heart pounded from exertion and dread. Glancing upward, you saw the distorted ceiling of the pool room and the surface of the water getting closer. Fighting to stay moving with the extra weight you carried, you tread through the water with panic as you endeavored to pick up the pace.  You could see the creature approaching in your peripheral vision. 

 

     With the last burst of strength in your muscles you broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. The creature gave you no time for rest, gripping tightly onto one of your legs and dragging both you and an unconscious Chan back under. Hysteria caused you to let out a silent scream, thereby also letting go of at least half of the breath you had just taken. The strength in your legs had given out after the great effort to bring Chan to the surface. You felt as if you there was no hope, you knew there was no way you could muster up enough power to escape the vice grip of the demon. 

 

     Suddenly, a bright blue light flashed in the somber water. Looking down at your neck you saw the cross hanging loosely, silver chain glinting in the glow. Your eyes were drawn to a second blaze, and for the first time, you also noticed that there was a matching cross around Chan’s neck. It too, glowed with a pure blue brilliance, an exact replica of the one which hung around your collar. The creature let out another one of it’s bone-chilling cries. Then it fled into the dark depths of the water. Freed from it’s grasp thanks to the sudden phenomena of light, you took the opportunity to resurface. Since you didn’t know when the effect of the glittery miracle would wear off, you quickly lifted yourself out of the pool and dragged Chan out after you. 

 

     Gently, you set him down on the floor of the deck and did a quick damage assessment. Checking for a reason why he would have blacked out, you discovered that he had a large cut on the side of his forehead with an alarmingly large bruise forming around it.  _ He must have had his head bashed into the bottom of the pool _ . It was bleeding moderately so you decided to leave it for later as you examined his breathing.  _ Not the slightest whisper of air.  _ You felt hollow but shoved the dreadful feeling aside in exchange for a lifesaving mindset as you had learned years before. It was not the time to mourn yet, not if you could do something about it. Swiftly, you began administering compressions, consumed by hasty panic.  _ 9, 10, 11, 12…  _ Every compression counted as you put the full force of your body into the resuscitation. Then, without warning, the boy who looked like he was on death’s doorstep suddenly shot up to a sitting position and started to cough out an entire ocean. Caught off guard, you rushed to help him before he hacked out one of his lungs. 

 

“I’m here, just keep coughing,” you instructed, encouraging him to clear his windpipe.

 

“Get all the water out of your system,” you said softly, “I know it hurts, but I need you to make it through.”

 

     You held him up as he keeled over, continuing to spit up pool water and whispered soft ressurances. When it seemed like his suffering had stopped, and all had passed, he launched into another hacking fit, followed by another false calm. After what felt like an eternity of this cycle of convulsions, his coughing finally halted and his breathing began to steady itself. Relief washed over you and you carefully led him to lie on the deck chair, where he proceeded to fall back into unconsciousness. This time he was breathing relatively normally, so you decided to go search for something to patch up his wound with.

 

     Walking around the dim area of the pool, you hoped you would stumble across a first aid kit. No luck.  _ I guess Lucifer doesn’t feel the need to help fix any demons who sustain injuries in his pool. How cold of him.  _ You hurriedly combed through the various rooms, nooks and crannies of the floor, finding a supply closet, the sauna, the machine room and a communal change room with rows upon rows of separate stalls. You snatched a stack of pool towels to dry yourself and Chan off then investigated the changing room. For good measure, you glanced over each stall, finding Chan’s plaid shirt, his sleeveless undershirt, his socks and his shoes, as a messy heap in one of them. Gathering up the clothes, you took hint of the totally rippable material that his undershirt was made of and carried your load back to the pool deck where Chan was sleeping somewhat restfully. You placed everything but the black undershirt on an nearby table and unravel the crumpled garment. Then you took hold of the hem and tore a sufficiently large strip off the edge. After ensuring that you had enough fabric to patch up the cut, you grabbed a towel off the table, using it to dry and clean his hair and gently scrub the blood off his forehead. As you worked you couldn’t help but stare at his seemingly peaceful face. At a deeper glance, you could see how much paler he was, how he shivered slightly in the cold space, how his eyebrows were slightly knit making his expression uneasy and restless. The fabric was, as predicted, perfect for dressing the gash and you wrapped it around his head securely, creating a sort of bandaging headband. You picked up another towel and set to drying his bare torso, timidly pressing it against his ghastly pale skin.

 

“Something I didn’t think I’d be doing in hell: drying off a hot Korean-Australian man.” You laughed to yourself at the absurdity as you finished soaking up all the pool water on his chest.

 

     Carefully, you spread his jacket overtop him like a blanket to keep the warmth in. Finally, you sat back on the chair next to him to take a short break and think about your next step. You knew you couldn’t expect Chan to wake up and be in a condition healthy enough to dive back into the pool, especially since there was an evil sea witch in there.  _ Why didn’t Vega help him fight whatever that thing was? Did she abandon us? Did she get hurt by it?  _ There wasn’t time to ponder more on it though because just when you thought you were alone, a voice rang out in your head.

 

_ “So falls your Prince Charming.”  _ The devil’s silver tongue once again pieced your private thoughts.

 

“Firstly, fuck you, he is  _ not  _ my ‘Prince Charming,’” you snapped back. “Secondly, he isn’t dying anytime soon, I can assure you of that as long as I live in this hell.”

 

_ “Brave… Yet so foolish. You wouldn’t be able to protect him, even if you weren’t in hell. Men are quick to fall, especially when a gorgeous woman is involved.”  _ He sighed dramatically.

 

“Psht, you’re too kind!” you replied, pretending it was a compliment. What could you say? It was your natural defense mechanism to feign self-centeredness.

 

_ “You know who I mean. And it’s not you.”  _ He half-sighed, exasperated.  _ “Don’t you think about how eagerly he jumped into the water after her?”  _

 

     You bit your lip, worrying it between your teeth. Of course you had been a little jealous at the time, but what was there to be jealous about? Plus, it was reminding you of things you wanted to keep locked away. You knew that Lucifer was just trying to mess with you, so you tried your best to ignore him. As his unholy buzz continued to taunt you, an idea was beginning to form in your head, an idea you prayed would solve at least one of your problems. It was about time you stepped up to the plate; the perfect time to prove how you could work independently and clear a floor by yourself. You remembered where the electrical box was located on the wall next to pool. Which, in all honesty, was a HUGE safety hazard. Luckily for you, if you played your cards right, it would be a critical part in your plan. 

 

“Who wouldn’t jump in after such a catch amirite?” you grinned as you tied to subtly inch your way over to the supply closet, “By the way, what happened to that poor fish girl? I hope she wasn’t unfortunate enough to have a close run-in with whatever sea monster you keep as a pet...” you continued, trying to make small talk with the devil while you took careful steps towards your destination. 

 

     Upon reaching the small room full of pool accessories you took hold of what you had recalled seeing earlier. A long copper wire. Long enough to run from the electrical box to the edge of the pool. Water and electricity were a deadly mix. Possibly deadly enough to kill whatever was lurking in the depths. Lucifer’s presence had surprisingly dissipated and you were now truly alone as you launched into you work.  _ I hope he won’t try to stop me or my plans. Better hurry then.  _ You sprinted over to the electrical box which was screwed onto the wall tightly and tore open the cover. A messy bundle of wires and circuitry greeted you and you dug right in, fiddling with every loose end. After causing a lot of sparks and almost setting your shirt on fire twice (like you needed to lose another article of clothing to the flames), you managed to rip out one of the live wires and carefully wrapped it around the copper wire at one end. Then you picked up the other end and crossing your fingers, threw it into the middle of the pool. The reaction wasn’t exactly what you were hoping for. Not even a spark danced across the water or the wire.

 

“No, no, no! Shit!” you cursed and checked for any deviation in the set up. 

 

     In desperation you flicked every one of the switches on and off. Without warning, a zap shocked your entire system, running through your body from your head to heels. Turning to the pool you saw a jolt of electricity run along the wire into the water. Then the muffled wail of the monster rose from the darkness. The water bubbled angrily as if it was alive, irritated by the sudden disturbance. A few moments later, the grotesque thing floated to the surface, devoid of life. As if a sinister aura had evaporated from the pool with it, the water seemed to clear a bit.

 

“Yes, yes!  _ Yes _ !!!” you sang, doing a little happy dance as you dragged the wire out of the pool and switched off the system. 

 

     Now came the next step of your plan. Before you could jump into the pool though, your focus was brought back to the lifeless fish demon. You couldn’t tear your eyes off it, captured by the the demon’s corpse going through an odd metamorphosis. As if life was being breathed back to into it’s frail figure, the torn skin faded away and it’s grey color melted into a pale peach. The claw-like hands softened bit by bit. It’s sallow face rounded, cheeks becoming rosier and lips fuller. The thin black hairs grew and thickened to cover the bare scalp, and as the water held it in a ethereal suspended state, it changed into long, luscious straw-colored locks. A pit formed in your stomach as the transformation continued. The dark scales began to shine and shimmer as with every refraction of light, they grew into a sparkling rose gold. It’s nails receded and became immaculately manicured in a familiar shade of pink. The resemblance was undeniable now.

 

     The dead siren floating on the surface was Vega. And you had just seen her morph from an ugly beast into a enchanting beauty. Terror and wonder mixed in your guts and sickness filled your mind. Staring at the siren in the water, now that it looked more human, a churning feeling began in you. It felt like you had actually killed someone.You needed to push it aside and move forward so you forced yourself to recall what she had done to you and Chan. _She almost drowned both of us on multiple occasions._ _It must have been her who bashed his head into the bottom of the pool while he was off guard. And I let him fall for her tricks. How could I have not seen through her lies? I was blinded by petty jealousy._ That thought started a new gross feeling in your chest. Bad memories flowed into your head, overpowering any ounce of guilt that had possessed you just seconds before. The memories came with a old, fiery, rage, which had been boiling inside of you for years. Your jaw tightened just recalling that day. _It wasn’t my fault. It was hers. And now she’s payed for it._ With that, you dived back into the pool, determined to finish what Chan had tried to start. 

 

~~~ 

 

     Since you had already dove into the pool and seen whereabouts the plug was earlier, you had little difficulty locating it again. Especially since the water was clearer and there was nothing stopping you from reaching it this time.The plug was a glistening silver and set in it’s center was a number of small rubies in the shape of a pentagram. It’s chain was made of gold that felt warm even in the cold of the pool. You grasped one end of it quickly and planted both of your feet on the bottom of the pool, putting your whole weight into pulling it out. Finally, it popped out and you waved it around in the water with delight. Then you made your way back to the surface and climbed out in a hurry, before the water emptied out behind you. You thought you saw a dark shadowy eel swirl around the drain before the whole pool disappeared into the tiny hole in the floor. Along with the dark water, another weight seemed to be lifted off your shoulders. You took a deep breath and let it go, smiling into the exhale. Pride swelled in your chest. It felt good to accomplish something without anyone else’s help. You gazed back at the empty pool. Now reduced to a gaping, footprint of the once fantastic pool, the great body of water was gone, and strangely, the corpse of it’s only inhabitant was missing along with it.  _ I wonder if that was my first exorcism? Do demon corpses normally vanish after they die?  _ You threw yourself down on the pool chair adjacent to Chan, who was still sleeping. Looking at him again, you checked out his condition visually. He seemed to have regained a little color, and his tense expression had smoothed out. You decided to let him rest a bit more and leaned back on the chair, letting the hand which held the shiny pool plug fall to your side as you stared into the distance.

 

     Chan’s eyes fluttered open as you continued to stare broodingly at the far wall. He sat up with a sense of urgency, the movement throwing off his jacket, but then realized where he was and relaxed. His gaze fell on you as he pieced together what had happened. You hadn’t noticed his consciousness return nor did you catch his eyes, which were fixed on you. They brushed over your hair, still wet, and the overly bejeweled pool plug in your hand. Realization struck and his face lit up with a small, proud smile. Quietly, he grabbed one of the towels on the table and flung it over your head mischievously. At first you jumped, nerves on end after letting down your guard. He laughed with his gummy smile. This finally alerted you of his awakening and you turned to see his smiling face. 

 

“Glad someone’s happy.  _ And  _ awake. Guess who’s the Sleeping Beauty now?” you grinned, genuinely relieved that he was still his bright self.

 

“Last time I checked, Aurora wasn’t Australian. Or a 21 year old man,” he retorted.

 

     You faked rolling your eyes, before you broke into laughter along with him.

 

“But seriously, dry your hair, you’ll catch a cold,” he scolded.

 

“Says you! Mister I’m Gonna Get Tricked By A Siren And Almost Drown!” you replied as you started to dry your hair with the towel he’d thrown at you.

 

“Sorry about that… I swear next time I won’t leave you alone like that. I bet I scared you with that disappearing act,” he said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

“Hmph! You’re just lucky you have the best lifeguard in the world with you in hell!” you boasted with a false ego.

 

“Of course, what would I do without my angel?” His joking was casual, but you felt your heart become a puddle at his words.

 

“L-Let’s just go. I cleared the floor while you were sleeping anyway,” you cursed your stuttering as you tried to redirect the conversation.

 

“I guess you could say that you  _ pulled the plug  _ on Lucifer’s plans!” Chan chuckled and cracked up. You groaned.

 

“Okay jokester, just get on the elevator,” you said with a small giggle as you helped him stand up and let him lean on you, the both of you making your way to the golden Otis gates. 

 

     Chan really liked that giggle, and found himself grinning as he stared at you. Though you were pretending to be annoyed, you couldn’t hide the sparkling care that swam in your eyes—as you were cherishing the fact that he was back again, to stay. He thought they were brighter than a million diamonds, and worth ten times the price of them. Your hope-filled eyes were so dazzling in contrast to the darkness around him. And finding that shine was all he needed in this hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update again! I am also working with my editor to improve the previous chapters and the formatting in them. Thank you for reading this work, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


End file.
